Explorers of Sky, Time and Darkness: Retold Once Again
by The Original Character Queen
Summary: A friend. A thief. Enemies disguised as allies, allies disguised as enemies. Partners, dungeons, adventure, and a human that becomes a Pokémon. It is a story that has been told and retold countless times in countless ways, and it is being retold once again. Only this time, the heroine is a bit...unusual. Join Team Heart in their quest to save both the present and the future.


Nothing. That is all. Nothing else registers in the tiny consciousness in this vast nothing than the feeling of absolutely nothing at all. No senses are active except that strange sixth sense we all have inside of us. And in this tiny consciousness, that sixth sense is its only connection to the nothingness that surrounds it.

Then, a sound. Hearing kicks in gear. It's a very soft sound, but the consciousness manages to identify it as a voice. After either a few seconds or a millennia, it can finally make out words.

 _Welcome!_

 _This is the portal that leads to the world inhabited only by Pokemon._

 _Beyond this gateway, many new adventures and fresh experiences await your arrival!_

 _Before you depart for adventure, you must answer some questions._

 _Be truthful when you answer them!_

 _Now, are you ready?_

 _Then...let the questions begin!_

Suddenly color filled the conscious being, as well as knowledge. It was female, a young human girl. She knew of the creatures called "Pokemon." Ah yes, they were wondrous creatures indeed. If she could recall, humans and Pokemon coexisted in her society. However, the details of her life were fuzzy still. She wasn't even quite sure of who she was at the moment. Well, all that mattered for the moment was that her consciousness had regained its form. She gazed at the scenery around her being. Colors swirled and pulsed in her vision, and soft, hypnotic music played at the back of her mind. Then she heard the voice again.

 _Once you've decided something, do you see it through to the end?_

Huh. It was asking her a question? Well, it did say she had to answer questions. It had also said to answer them honestly, so she decided to listen and respond with, "Yes."

The voice then continued to ask her questions. It seemed they were mostly slice-of-life questions, with a few that tested her morals. A few in particular stuck out in her mind though.

 _When you see a switch, do you feel an overwhelming urge to flip it?_

"Yup."

 _You're packing your classroom's snacks for a picnic when you get hungry. What do you do?_

"Eat just a _tiny_ bit."

 _The phone's ringing! What do you do?_

"Answer right away."

As the questions continued, the girl was slowly becoming more aware of something. Was it her imagination, or were the fuzzy parts of her mind getting fuzzier? Her mind seemed to be less clear than it had been when she had first started this questionnaire. In fact, it seemed that some of the edges had already faded away.

The voice eventually asked, _Are you male or female?_ She told it, "Female."

Suddenly the swirling colors in front of her melded together and formed what seemed to be a solid, green wall. The voice then spoke again.

 _Your aura shall be analyzed. Your aura is the energy that you radiate!_

"My aura?" She asked. This was rather confusing. How was her aura supposed to analyzed?

 _Relax,_ the voice assured her. _Calm yourself...and now press your fingertip gently on the Touch Screen._

(Touch Screen?) She looked at the green wall. (Is that what that is?) She somehow felt drawn to the strange screen, so she walked up to it. Gently, she lifted her arm and and touched it with the tip of her finger. Yep, solid. With little hesitation, she pressed on the screen. A bluish force began to pulsate from where her finger touched the screen. She felt something inside her act in the same way.

 _That's right...Stay perfectly still..._

Suddenly, everything went dark. The girl staggered backwards. What happened? What is this? Had she done something wrong?

Then she heard the voice say, _Don't move your finger quite yet._

As this sentence reached her ears, she growled. She didn't move her finger! Was this thing trying to mess with her?

When the color came back she repeated the process, this time keeping her finger firmly on the Touch Screen. Her aura flowed outward from where her finger was and across the screen.

 _That's right...Stay perfectly still..._

 _Take a deep breath..._

She breathed in.

 _And now exhale..._

She breathed out.

Just everything lit up so bright she had to shield her eyes.

 _Your aura has been identified. Lift your finger from the Touch Screen._

She complied and lifted her finger. Suddenly her surroundings were pitch black again.

 _Your aura is..._

She sensed some change in the landscape upwards, and therefore looked up. Above her was a screen much like the Touch Screen. It was higher than it though, and instead of green it was...

 _a smart marine blue!_

The screen faded, and the voice continued its speech.

 _Thank you for answering all those questions. You seem to be...the hasty type! You talk quickly! You eat quickly! You walk quickly! People often see you're a hard worker because you're always moving around so fast! But be careful! If you always rush so fast, you may make mistakes more often than others do. And what a waste that would be! Relax every now and then with a nice, deep breath._

(Huh. Somehow, I feel this guy is right.)

 _So, a hasty type like you..._

 _Will be a Pikachu!_

An image flashed before the girl's eyes. A bright yellow face. Rosy cheeks. Long ears. Sparkling eyes. An adorable smile. This was a Pokemon, no doubt. Pikachu, was it? Yes, she had certainly heard of it before. But what had the voice meant by, " _you will be a Pikachu"?_ Her thoughts were interrupted when the voice spoke again.

 _And finally...Who will be your partner?_

(Partner? What do you...)

 _Choose the Pokemon you want for a partner._

Suddenly, a whole plethora of Pokemon appeared in front of her. She was confused beyond belief. Why would she need a Pokemon partner at this moment? Then her thoughts traveled back to something the voice had said earlier.

 _Beyond this gateway, many new adventures and fresh experiences await your arrival!_

(Wait...Is all of this preparation to go into this "Pokemon world?" Hold on though, why do I even need to go there? Hmm... It seems attempting to think with such a fuzzy mind is pointless. This voice seems to have control over what happens to me next. Oh well, better just pick a Pokemon.)

She scanned the faces of the Pokemon assembled. They were blurry, so she couldn't tell what they each were. She probably couldn't have anyway, but even if her own mind wasn't a blur she probably couldn't have identified them like this. Still, she could somewhat make out their forms and facial expression. She eyed them, none really appealing to her any special way. She was about to just pick one when one caught her eye. It was a small green Pokemon, a bit shorter than her since it was on all fours. Most of the Pokemon here had the same plain smile on their face, but this one had a different expression. It smiled softly at her, almost in a shy way. It returned her gaze with bright red eyes that seemed to have the same sparkle as the eyes of the Pikachu in that picture had. Without hesitation, she pointed at the creature.

 _Is Chikorita who you want?_

(Hmm, Chikorita, eh? I like it.) She nodded.

Suddenly, two boxes appeared in front of her. The one on top was titled with, "What is your partner's nickname?" A blank line was beneath it. The second box below had a keyboard function.

(No way, I can give her a name? Awesome!) She tried to think of a good name. If this Chikorita was to be her partner, her name had to be special. She looked at the Pokemon in question. It's image had become a bit more clear, so she could now clearly see the giant leaf on its head. Leaf... At that moment, she remembered a name that meant leaf. A name perfect for this Pokemon. She quickly typed in the letters and pressed END.

 _Is the name Panra okay?_

"Yes."

The boxes disappeared, and the voice contined.

 _Okay! That's it! You're all ready to go!_

 _You're off to the world of Pokemon!_

 _Be strong! Stay smart! And be victorious!_

The colors faded. The music did too. And the girl's mind was flooded with her last memory.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lightning flashes. Thunder roars. Wind howls. Rain pelts everything in sight.

"Woah! W-w-woah...! Are... Are you OK?!"

 _Lightning. Thunder._

"No! Don't let go! Just a little longer... Come on! Hang on!"

 _Lightning. Thunder._

"N-n-no! I can't...hold on...!"

 _Lightning thunder. Lightning thunder._

WAAAAAAH!

 _Lightning._

Her last memory. Before everything fades and the rain washes away the remains, leaving a clean slate upon which to start a new adventure...


End file.
